1984 San Diego Padres season

1984 San Diego Padres
National League Champions
National League West Champions
LeagueNational League
DivisionWest
BallparkJack Murphy Stadium
CitySan Diego, California
Record92–70 (.568)
Divisional place1st
OwnersJoan Kroc
General managersJack McKeon
ManagersDick Williams
TelevisionKCST
San Diego Cable Sports Network
(Dave Campbell, Jerry Coleman, Bob Chandler, Ted Leitner)
RadioKFMB (AM)
(Dave Campbell, Jerry Coleman)
XEXX
(Gustavo Lopez, Mario Thomas Zapiain)
← 1983 Seasons 1985 →

The 1984 San Diego Padres season was the 16th season in franchise history. San Diego won the National League (NL) championship and advanced to the World Series, which they lost to the Detroit Tigers four games to one. The Padres were led by manager Dick Williams and third-year player Tony Gwynn, who won the NL batting title and finished third in voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award.

In their first 15 seasons, the Padres had an overall won–lost record of 995–1372 for a .420 winning percentage,[1] and finished with a winning record just once (1978).[2] They had never finished higher than fourth in the National League West, and eight times they had finished in last place.[2] However, they were coming off consecutive 81–81 seasons in Williams' two years as San Diego's manager.[3] They won the NL West in 1984 with a 92–70 record, and set a then-franchise record in attendance, drawing nearly two million fans (1,983,904).[4] They defeated the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS, three games to two, becoming the first NL team to win the pennant after being down 2–0. Steve Garvey was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player.

Owner Ray Kroc died on January 14, making this the Padres' first season under the sole ownership of Kroc's widow Joan. Joan Kroc would continue to own the team until 1990.

  1. ^ Lockwood, Wayne (March 27, 1984). "This season, perhaps, the optimism will be rewarded". The San Diego Union. p. X-1.
  2. ^ a b Center, Bill (May 19, 2014). "Remembering 1984 Going into Weekend of Celebration". mlblogs.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015.
  3. ^ Bloom, Barry (April 3, 1984). "A new era? Padres are hoping to start one tonight against Pittsburgh". Evening Tribune. p. D-1.
  4. ^ Slocum, Bob (October 24, 1984). "Padres, area reaped benefits, but much more could lie ahead". Evening Tribune. p. D-1.